Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone

Nowhere is the dreamer
Or the misfit so alone

Subdivisions
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
Subdivisions
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight

64 Comments

General CommentI think this song is speaking about how teens in secondary school often feel pressured to like and do the same things as everyone else, as if they don't they wont be branded 'cool'.
This song relates to me because i'm not one of the 'cool kids', and i'm not invited to all the 'cool' parties etc. It's such a brilliant song!

For me, MKG, it actually depresses me... Being in high school, not popular, nor getting good grades, I feel frustrated. The only thing I like to do, is music, (not gay pop) but jazz, and I do feel that I am being led to a pre determined destination, one that seems inevidable, one that they teach you how to lead. I do not wish to conform to the modern day criteria for being a kid, so that makes me a cast out. And many kids do give up their dreams for small desires, I also feel that because I am a Christian, it makes me a little more different than the crowd. (I love being a Christian, I am not dreading it at all). Also the people will do anything to be cool. This is what I feel, and this song relates to me very heavily.

My InterpretationI am really interested to here how others interpret the lines of the last verse…

'Some will sell their dreams for small desires'
- Some of the dreamers give in to the pressure to conform, and later in life they purchase a home in the suburbs. Could a home purchase be a small desire? Possibly.

'Or lose the race to rats'
- Give in to the 9 to 5 lifestyle, making the killer commute, rushing here and there, and never marching to the beat of their own drum.

'Get caught in ticking traps'
- This line has confounded me. The ticking part could infer a time limit the person is bound to. The trap, well just a guess… the purchase of the suburban home with a large mortgage obligation. The trap is the burden to pay it all back. The ticking part is the pressure is the make the monthly payment on time. I could be way off.

'And start to dream of somewhere To relax their restless flight '
- this kinds of blows up my home debt obligation theory, because this could very well imply the initial thoughts about purchasing a suburban home.

'Somewhere out of a memory, Of lighted streets on quiet nights'
The memory of the quiet suburb comes back to the person that drifted into the city.

I have a little more clarity on these last two verses… The entire last two verses are related to the attraction of city life, including both the excitement that youths feel when going out on the town, and the humdrum way that adults have going to their jobs.

'Lit up like a firefly' - lit up store fronts, signs etcetera of a city at nighttime. Just as moths are attracted to lights at night, so too are youths seeking excitement, referenced by 'Just to feel the living night'.

'Some will sell their dreams for small desires' - the desire for income, a new car, a new material item that can only be obtained with the money earned from a job. Committing to that job meant sacrificing a dream, or 'sell their dreams'.

'Or lose the race to rats' - lose precious spirit and time to enjoy life by travelling a depressing commute, to and from the job.

'Get caught in ticking traps' - I have to admit, seeing the Subdivisions video gave me more clarity on what was meant by this line…. ticking traps are basically time commitments, that cause you miss out on valuable experiences in life. You scramble to get to a train by a certain time everyday, or complete your work tasks on a strict schedule. You are bound to these commitments, causing you to miss out on other valuable experiences.

'And start to dream of somewhere To relax their restless flight ' - The tedium of the daily commute leaves you longing for your suburban, subdivided home, where you can just go and relax.

'Somewhere out of a memory Of lighted streets on quiet nights' - The longing get to your suburban home, is not just a current thought but also deeply engrained in your memory, from having been raised in the same type of subdivision for example.

General CommentI have a little more clarity on the last two verses… The entire last two verses are related to the attraction of city life, including both the excitement that youths feel when going out on the town, and the humdrum way that adults have going to their jobs.

'Lit up like a firefly' - lit up store fronts, signs etcetera of a city at nighttime. Just as moths are attracted to lights at night, so too are youths seeking excitement, referenced by 'Just to feel the living night'.

'Some will sell their dreams for small desires' - the desire for income, a new car, a new material item that can only be obtained with the money earned from a job. Committing to that job meant sacrificing a dream, or 'sell their dreams'.

'Or lose the race to rats' - lose precious spirit and time to enjoy life by travelling a depressing commute, to and from the job.

'Get caught in ticking traps' - I have to admit, seeing the Subdivisions video gave me more clarity on what this line means…. ticking traps are basically time commitments, that cause you miss out on valuable experiences in life. You scramble to get to a train by a certain time everyday, or complete your work tasks on a strict schedule. You are bound to these commitments, causing you to miss out on other valuable experiences.

'And start to dream of somewhere To relax their restless flight ' - The tedium of the daily commute leaves you longing for your suburban, subdivided home, where you can just go and relax.

'Somewhere out of a memory Of lighted streets on quiet nights' - The longing to get to the suburban home, is not just a current thought but also deeply engrained in your memory, from having been raised in the same type of subdivision for example.